Crime Stoppers Victoria’s Dob in a Dealer program
- Written by Crime Stoppers Victoria
Crime Stoppers Victoria’s Dob in a Dealer program has received national recognition with a $1 million dollar commitment from the Federal Government, which will see the program delivered across the country.
The program, which is funded by the Victorian Government’s Community Crime Prevention Program and run in collaboration with Victoria Police, aims to tackle the flow of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and other illicit drugs into regional areas.
Since it was first created by Crime Stoppers Victoria in 2014, the Dob in a Dealer program has been rolled out to 14 different regional towns across the state with great success.
The government yesterday announced plans for a national Dob in a Dealer hotline, based on Crime Stoppers Victoria's program, to target drug dealers.
Crime Stoppers Victoria will work with law enforcement agencies, government and Crime Stoppers Australia to assist in delivering the program across the country.
The Dob in Dealer program saw a spike in reporting on drug activity in Victoria, with a 400 per cent increase in phone and online information reports during the campaign period, with information confidentially passed on to Victoria Police for further investigation.
Crime Stoppers Victoria CEO Sam Hunter says support for the campaign highlights community concern about the growing ice epidemic.
“People are concerned about ice as a major problem tearing apart their communities, sporting clubs and threatening their way of life," Ms Hunter said.
"We are pleased that the success of the program has been recognised by government and law enforcement agencies as an important tool in the fight against this insidious drug. This program has proven to be effective across Victoria already and is all about stopping the manufacture, stopping the distribution and stopping the supply."
Crime Stoppers Victoria continues to lead the way with the first cross-border campaign being launched this week in Echuca.
A collaboration funded by the Victorian State Government, Crime Stoppers Victoria is working with Victoria Police and the New South Wales Police force on an operation calling for community information from all Murray border towns.
Ms Hunter said the cross jurisdiction campaign was born out of earlier Dob in a Dealer successes from Mildura, Swan Hill and Echuca.
“We’re pleased to have New South Wales Police on board to help us stem the supply of ice into these communities and we encourage all residents from both sides of the Murray to report drug activity and help police beat the ice scourge," Ms Hunter said.
Crime Stoppers Victoria is a not-for-profit community organisation, helping to keep families and communities safe. We work closely with Victoria Police to provide valuable information from the public to help solve crime. Any information you provide is confidential – so if you see something or you know something, say something.
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